art can be political. it can make a statement.
but before posting your art of a fictional (and often times white) character punching ice agents and just captioning it “they would hate ice!!!”, “they would say fuck ice!!!”, it would help a lot to think about what resources you can point people to, to help those that have been targeted by ICE, and their families. what resources you can point people to, to help people understand their rights in scenarios where they may be stopped and even detained by ICE.
and it would help to remember that there are very real people who are being racially profiled, kidnapped, mistreated and abused in real life. they cannot escape these scenarios. they cannot raise a hand to their oppressors, they can not run away, without risking their lives. they are even mistreated and abused while complying. their very real families are being torn apart in the process.
art of a white fictional character who would not (and physically cannot) be in this very real scenarios, escaping detention and ‘defeating the oppressor’ with nothing more than a “he would hate ice” caption may very much come off as an inability to think about the very real people in these scenarios, how they cannot simply just ‘fight back’ without putting their lives at risk, or how they need their voices amplified, instead imagining fictional men in their place with a fantastical “happy ending” that these real people will never see.
if you are going to make art of the like, know that it would help and be greatly appreciated if you could include more than just “he would say fuck ice” as a caption. tell us where YOU stand, as the very real person behind the art, how YOU feel, how YOU want to help. share your love and appreciation for the communities who are targeted by this racism and discrimination. let people who see your art know how and where they can help. we need real people’s voices to support the real people who are affected, more than anything else 🫶
here is a link to the Native American Rights Foundation with information about what you can do if you are approached by ICE at home, at work, in your car, in public, if you are under the age of 18, as well as listing some of your rights when you have even when you are detained.
they have flyers you can download and print out with this information on it. they also provide contact info for native americans who’s rights were violated by ICE to reach out to them for support.
here is a link to the ACLU’s Immigrant’s Rights page with information about your rights and how to express them in multiple scenarios including being stopped by ICE while in transit, if you need a lawyer, what to do if you are detained while your immigration case is underway, and challenging a deportation order.
they have graphics in english and spanish that you can download to share or keep on hand if you want to quickly review your rights in any scenario
StandWithMinnesota.com has complied various links of ways to help, including crowdfunding, mutual aid, organizations you can donate to or join, legal support, and many more ways to help the people of Minnesota.
RAÍCES is a Texas-based organization that helps provides immigrants seeking asylum in the US with legal representatives in immigration court, they have a donate option on their website
*you may be able to find similar organizations for your state through google searches. i live in TX and have previously heard of this org being spoken of highly so i chose to include it here
the National Immigrant Justice Center has a list of resources for what to do if a loved one is detained by ICE, as well as links to locate family members in detention centers, reporting raids, and resources for finding a representative or attorney.
they also provide legal consultation and assistance for low-income immigrants. the have resources for assistance with applying for citizenship, lgbtq+ immigrants, trafficking victims, people who have been detained, and many more on their website.
there are endless sites with similar information, and an endless amount of organizations that help those effected, i wish i could link them all. i hope anyone reading this finds these resources useful, whether they help provide you with information about your rights and how to protect yourself in the event that you are stopped and/or detained, or that they at least provide an example of the type of information that can be linked in posts to inform viewers and show where and how they can help
kianamaiart
dailybridgerton
yousharknotpass
titsay
ellievsbear
